Iran warns Trump ‘whole area will turn into hell for you’ if US escalation continues after president’s livid risk over Strait of Hormuz deadline

Iran warned Donald Trump the ‘entire region will become hell’ if the US escalates the conflict, hitting back after he threatened to destroy the country’s vital infrastructure if it does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.

‘Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out. 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them. Glory be to GOD!’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Iran’s central military command rejected the threat, with General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi calling it a ‘helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action’.

In a statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, he warned the ‘gates of hell will open’ for the US if tensions escalate, echoing Trump’s language.

The U.S. and Israel have since stepped up pressure on Tehran to reopen the strategic waterway or face strikes on its energy infrastructure, while Iranian and US forces searched for a missing American crew member from one of two downed warplanes.

Trump, who has sent mixed messages since the conflict began with a joint US-Israeli bombardment of Iran on February 28, said his latest deadline for a deal to end the war was fast approaching.

His messaging has veered between hinting at diplomatic progress and threatening to bomb the Islamic Republic ‘back to the Stone Ages’. 

In an apparent move to heap further pressure on Tehran, a senior Israeli defense official said Israel was preparing to attack Iranian energy facilities, and was awaiting the green light from the U.S. 

The timeframe for such attacks would be within the next week, the official said. Trump has previously threatened to hit Iranian power plants if his demands were not met. 

Washington faced heightened stakes as the conflict entered its sixth week, with the prospect of a U.S. service member alive and on the run in Iran, slim chances for peace talks and polls showing low public support for the war. 

With Iran’s leadership defiant since the start of the conflict, its foreign minister left the door open in principle for peace talks with the U.S. via mediation from Pakistan, but gave no sign of Tehran’s willingness to bow to Trump’s demands.

‘We are deeply grateful to Pakistan for its efforts and have never refused to go to Islamabad. What we care about are the terms of a conclusive and lasting END to the illegal war that is imposed on us,’ Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X. 

The war has killed thousands, sparked an energy crisis and threatened lasting damage to the world economy. Iran has virtually shut the ​Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.

Iran has rained drones and missiles down on Israel, and also taken aim at Gulf countries allied to the U.S., which have so far held back from joining the war directly for fear of further escalation.

Trump’s threat, which included a misspelling in his Truth Social post, came as tensions mount over the vital shipping route, a key artery for the global oil trade.

He initially set a deadline for late March before extending it to April 6 at 8pm ET after Iran requested more time. 

If the deadline lapses, he has said he is willing to resume bombing Iran’s energy infrastructure. 

Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally and long-time Iran hawk, said he backed the ultimatum after what he described as a conversation with the president.

‘A massive military operation awaits Iran if they choose poorly,’ he said.

Trump’s latest threat comes after he posted on Friday that if given more time, ‘we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE.’

Ever since the war in Iran broke out on February 28, the Strait has been a key point of contention since roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply is transported through it.

Iran has asserted control over the Strait, implementing a blockade against nations that support the American-Israeli war effort.

So far, access has been granted to ships from countries that Iran considers ‘friendly’, including China, Russia, India, Iraq and Pakistan.

On Friday, a French ship became the first vessel from a Western nation to be allowed to pass through the Strait.

It came after French President Emmanuel Macron criticized Trump’s saber-rattling in the Middle East and implored him to get serious about opening the Strait.

French authorities have not yet commented on the ship being allowed through, but the container vessel signaled its non-hostile status to Iran during its journey.

Trump’s eagerness to get the Strait of Hormuz open comes as gasoline prices skyrocket in the United States and across the world.

According to AAA, the average gas price in the US is $4.10 per gallon, a 37 percent increase since before the war began, when it was just below $3 per gallon.

The majority of Americans feel the war in Iran has gone too far, according to a survey by the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Other polls show even Republicans are increasingly souring on the latest campaign in the Middle East. Many GOP voters gave Trump a second term at least in part because of his repeated promises that he would not start new wars.

Trump gave an address to the nation on Wednesday, reiterating claims that the US has significantly degraded Iran’s missile-launching capabilities.

‘Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Their missiles are just about used up or beaten. Taken together, these actions will cripple Iran’s military, crush their ability to support terrorist proxies and deny them the ability to build a nuclear bomb,’ Trump said.

Contrary to Trump’s claims that Iran’s arsenal had been severely set back, US intelligence sources told Reuters that two-thirds of Iran’s missiles are intact.

And two days after Trump’s speech, during which he said America’s operational objectives were close to being met, a US fighter jet was shot down over Iran.

It was an F-15E fighter jet, which had two crew members onboard. They both ejected from the aircraft and one has been recovered alive. The other has not been found by search-and-rescue teams.

So far, 13 US military service members have been killed in the war and more than 300 have been wounded, according to US Central Command. No troops have been taken prisoner by Iran.

In Iran, Israeli and American airstrikes have killed more than 1,900 people, according to the country’s deputy health minister.